Origin story of domestic cats rewritten by genetic analysisThu, 27 Nov 2025 19:00:11 +0000 Domestic cats originated in North Africa and spread to Europe in the past 2000 years, according to DNA evidence, while in China a different species of cat lived alongside people much earlier | |
Physicists have worked out a universal law for how objects shatterThu, 27 Nov 2025 18:00:36 +0000 Whether it is a cube of sugar or a chunk of a mineral, a mathematical analysis can identify how many fragments of each size any brittle object will break into | |
A new understanding of causality could fix quantum theory’s fatal flawMon, 24 Nov 2025 16:00:39 +0000 Quantum theory fails to explain how the reality we experience emerges from the world of particles. A new take on quantum cause and effect could bridge the gap | |
Emergency response needed to prevent climate breakdown, warn expertsThu, 27 Nov 2025 17:39:43 +0000 Scientists sounded the alarm on the dire consequences of continued inaction at a briefing in London, warning that we could be heading for "unprecedented societal and ecological collapse" | |
Warming and droughts led to collapse of the Indus Valley CivilisationThu, 27 Nov 2025 16:00:27 +0000 Hotter temperatures and a series of droughts in what is now Pakistan and India fragmented one of the world’s major early civilisations, providing a "warning shot" for today | |
Deadly fungus makes sick frogs jump far, possibly to find matesThu, 27 Nov 2025 15:00:26 +0000 Chytrid fungus is a scourge to global amphibian populations, but before it kills some frogs, it can produce symptoms that may help the infected animals find mates and spread the fungus further | |
Why dark matter is still one of the biggest open problems in scienceWed, 26 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 We can't see dark matter directly, so studying it pushes the boundaries of our creativity as scientists. How exciting, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein | |
Why memory manipulation could be one of humanity's healthiest ideasWed, 26 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 It might sound like dystopian science fiction, but discovering how to reshape memories responsibly is helping us to heal the brain from within, says Steve Ramirez | |
The 13 best popular science books of 2025Wed, 26 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Women's hidden extra work, positive tipping points and new thinking on autism – there's much to chew on in this year's best reads, says Liz Else | |
Monthly injection could replace daily steroid pills for severe asthmaWed, 26 Nov 2025 23:30:33 +0000 Daily steroid pills are often necessary for severe cases of asthma, but they raise the risk of several serious conditions. Now, scientists have shown that a monthly antibody injection can eliminate the need for the pills | |
Easter Island statues may have been built by small independent groupsWed, 26 Nov 2025 19:00:50 +0000 Mapping of the main quarry on Easter Island where giant statues were carved has uncovered evidence that the monuments may not have been created under the direction of a single chief | |
Cold-water swimming has benefits for the brain as well as the bodyWed, 26 Nov 2025 18:28:21 +0000 There is a growing body of research on the physical benefits of going for a dip in chilly water, but now researchers are starting to find that cold-water swimming may also be reshaping our brains for the better in lasting ways | |
Pandas use tools to scratch thanks to a strange evolutionary quirkWed, 26 Nov 2025 16:25:12 +0000 Captive giant pandas have been seen breaking off twigs and bamboo pieces to scratch hard-to-reach spots, using a crude opposable thumb that other bears don’t have | |
A revolutionary way to map our bodies is helping cure deadly diseasesWed, 26 Nov 2025 16:00:29 +0000 New tools that create ultra-precise maps of our tissues are transforming our ability to diagnose and cure once-fatal illnesses | |
Ancient human foot bones shed light on how two species coexistedWed, 26 Nov 2025 16:00:09 +0000 Scientists have finally assigned foot bones found in 2009 to an ancient human species, and the move suggests that different types of hominins lived close by in harmony | |
We might have just seen the first hints of dark matterTue, 25 Nov 2025 23:00:49 +0000 Unexplained gamma ray radiation coming from the edge of the Milky Way galaxy could be produced by self-annihilating dark matter particles – but the idea requires further investigation | |
Your brain undergoes four dramatic periods of change from age 0 to 90Tue, 25 Nov 2025 10:00:29 +0000 Our brain wiring seems to undergo four major turning points at ages 9, 32, 66 and 83, which could influence our capacity to learn and our risk of certain conditions | |
We may need a fourth law of thermodynamics for living systemsTue, 25 Nov 2025 19:11:31 +0000 The laws of thermodynamics don't accurately account for the complex processes in living cells – do we need a new one to accurately measure the ways living systems are out of equilibrium? | |
The long-overlooked insects that could save our cropsTue, 25 Nov 2025 16:00:00 +0000 Hoverflies, often mistaken for bees and wasps, pollinate three quarters of our crops. Now we’re discovering we can train them to be even more efficient | |
Easily taxed grains were crucial to the birth of the first statesTue, 25 Nov 2025 10:00:42 +0000 The cultivation of wheat, barley and maize, which are easily stored and taxed, seems to have led to the emergence of large societies, rather than agriculture generally | |
The science of swimming trunks – including tightness analysisWed, 26 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Feedback dives into a new piece of research on the merits of swimming briefs or looser swimming shorts – and raises an eyebrow at its conclusion | |
Why is climate action stalling, not ramping up as Earth gets hotter?Mon, 24 Nov 2025 11:08:06 +0000 As the impact of global warming becomes more obvious, you might expect countries to step up climate action and preparation, but we’re seeing the opposite happen | |
Have we found a greener way to do deep-sea mining?Mon, 24 Nov 2025 12:15:54 +0000 There are widespread concerns that deep-sea mining for metals will damage fragile ecosystems. But if mining ever goes ahead, hydrogen plasma could shrink the carbon footprint of smelting the metal ores | |
Sperm's evolutionary origins go back before multicellular animalsMon, 24 Nov 2025 12:00:09 +0000 Analysis of the DNA and proteins of a range of animals has revealed that sperm’s molecular toolkit arose in our single-celled ancestors, perhaps more than a billion years ago | |
COP30 keeps climate cooperation alive but hanging by a threadMon, 24 Nov 2025 11:02:55 +0000 The 194 countries still taking part in UN climate negotiations reaffirmed the Paris Agreement following the US withdrawal, even if they agreed on little else | |
How a new way of thinking about fat could transform your healthWed, 19 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Body fat, often reviled, is actually a vital organ that contributes to your health and well-being. It is time for us to stop vilifying fat and to start exploring how we can harness its power | |
Extinct animals in Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age make it a must-watchSun, 23 Nov 2025 08:01:59 +0000 From woolly mammoths to giant sloths, via some lesser-known ice-age beasts like 'killer koalas', the visuals in this documentary are simply astounding | |
Is there any evidence that playing music to plants is beneficial?Wed, 19 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Botanist James Wong is constantly asked if he plays music to his army of plants. Time to put this notion to the test... | |
Why quasicrystals shouldn’t exist but are turning up in strange placesWed, 19 Nov 2025 16:00:35 +0000 Matter with “forbidden” symmetries was once thought to be confined to lab experiments, but is now being found in some of the world’s most extreme environments | |
Brian Eno and Beatie Wolfe discuss their new spacebound album, LiminalWed, 19 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Brian Eno and Beatie Wolfe's album Liminal is being transmitted into space by Nobel laureate Robert Wilson. They give Chelsea Whyte the lowdown | |
The vital, overlooked role of body fat in shaping your health and mindMon, 17 Nov 2025 16:00:22 +0000 The discovery that fat is a communicative organ with a role in everything from bone health to mood is forcing a rethink of how we view our bodies | |
Astronomers may have glimpsed evidence of the biggest stars ever seenFri, 21 Nov 2025 16:19:29 +0000 The distant universe might be littered with supermassive stars between 1000 and 10,000 times the mass of the sun, which could solve a cosmic mystery about the origins of extremely large black holes | |
Undersea ‘storms’ are melting the ‘doomsday’ glacier’s ice shelfFri, 21 Nov 2025 15:00:04 +0000 Spinning vortices of water trapped under the Thwaites glacier ice shelf account for 20 per cent of the ice melt. They’re expected to get worse as the world warms | |
Ancient tracks may record stampede of turtles disturbed by earthquakeFri, 21 Nov 2025 14:00:42 +0000 Around 1000 markings on a slab of rock that was once a seafloor during the Cretaceous period may have been made by sea turtle flippers and swiftly buried by an earthquake | |
Quantum computers need classical computing to be truly usefulFri, 21 Nov 2025 12:00:52 +0000 Conventional computing devices will play a crucial role in turning quantum computers into tools with real-world application | |
New Scientist recommends the Society of Wildlife Artists' annual expoWed, 19 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 The books, TV, games and more that New Scientist staff have enjoyed this week | |
Common type of inflammatory bowel disease linked to toxic bacteriaThu, 20 Nov 2025 19:00:37 +0000 The discovery that a toxin made by bacteria found in dirty water might help trigger ulcerative colitis could lead to new treatments for this form of IBD | |
We’ve found an unexpected structure in the solar system’s Kuiper beltWed, 19 Nov 2025 20:00:05 +0000 A newly discovered cluster of objects called the “inner kernel” of the Kuiper belt could teach us about the early history of the solar system – including the movement of Neptune | |
A fascinatingly grisly guide to replacing and repairing body partsWed, 19 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Mary Roach's new book Replaceable You explores what we do when bits of our bodies break down or need switching out. It makes for a brilliant read – just beware the gory details, warns Carissa Wong | |
Moss spores survive and germinate after 283-day 'space walk'Thu, 20 Nov 2025 16:00:07 +0000 Astronauts strapped moss spores to the outside of the International Space Station for nine months - and most of them survived the challenging experience | |
Mouse 'midwives' help their pregnant companions give birthThu, 20 Nov 2025 14:00:06 +0000 Scientists have observed mice helping each other when they encounter difficulties during birth, prompting a rethink of caregiving among rodents and other animals | |
Imagining a future where smart glasses allow 'AI slop' to be avoidedWed, 19 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 In the latest in our imagined history of inventions yet to come, Future Chronicles columnist Rowan Hooper reveals how an ingenious way to avoid being swamped by AI content was invented in the late 2020s | |
Daily pill could offer alternative to weight-loss injectionsThu, 20 Nov 2025 11:45:18 +0000 Orforglipron, a GLP-1 drug taken as a pill, achieved positive results in people with obesity and type 2 diabetes, although it seems less effective than injectable drugs | |
Cars are getting bigger. This is a problem for us and for the planetWed, 19 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Sport utility vehicles and other larger cars are becoming more and more common, and this is dangerous for our health in many ways. But we have ways to counter "carspreading", says Anthony Laverty | |
Physics of light and magnetism rewritten after almost two centuriesWed, 19 Nov 2025 10:00:25 +0000 An experiment 180 years ago first demonstrated a connection between light and electromagnetism – but the link is deeper than we thought | |
Vanishing Y chromosomes could aid or worsen lung cancer outcomesThu, 20 Nov 2025 09:00:56 +0000 The health impacts of men losing their Y chromosome from their cells are increasingly coming to light, with the loss playing a complicated role in the most common form of lung cancer | |
Who finds dad jokes funniest? The answer might not astonish youWed, 19 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Feedback is delighted to discover that two academics have taken a scholarly interest in dad jokes, but is unsurprised by their key finding: the people who most enjoy dad jokes are dads | |
An ambitious look at quantum physics is fun – but overdoes it a littleWed, 19 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Attempts to describe quantum physics are rarely enjoyable, but Paul Davies' zeal in Quantum 2.0 sometimes steers too close to hype, finds Karmela Padavic-Callaghan | |
Mosquito proboscis repurposed as a fine nozzle for 3D printingWed, 19 Nov 2025 19:00:36 +0000 When engineers struggled to make 3D printer nozzles narrow enough for their needs, they turned to nature and found the proboscis of a female mosquito had exactly the properties they needed | |
Climate heating has reached even deepest parts of the Arctic OceanWed, 19 Nov 2025 19:00:17 +0000 The depths of the Arctic Ocean have warmed more than scientists expected. New research has placed the blame on warmer water from Greenland | |
Google's Gemini 3 model keeps the AI hype train going – for nowWed, 19 Nov 2025 15:38:51 +0000 Google’s latest model reportedly beats its rivals in several benchmark tests, but issues with reliability mean concerns remain over a possible AI bubble | |
Quantum computers that recycle their qubits can limit errorsWed, 19 Nov 2025 15:00:49 +0000 To make quantum computers more efficient and reliable, some of their basic components must be constantly reused – several quantum computer designs can now do just that | |
Kissing may have evolved in an ape ancestor 21 million years agoWed, 19 Nov 2025 00:00:57 +0000 Rather than being a recent cultural development, kissing may have been practised by other early humans like Neanderthals and our ape ancestors | |
Four-fifths of the world's population now live in urban areasTue, 18 Nov 2025 17:30:13 +0000 A comprehensive UN report has found that cities and towns are home to 81 per cent of the world’s population, much more than previously thought | |
We can finally hear the long-hidden music of the Stone AgeTue, 18 Nov 2025 16:00:21 +0000 Ancient rock art was meant to be heard as well as seen and now acoustic archaeologists are bringing the sounds of prehistoric rituals to life | |
Mathematicians say Google's AI tools are supercharging their researchTue, 18 Nov 2025 12:14:09 +0000 AlphaEvolve, an AI system created by Google DeepMind, is helping mathematicians do research at a scale that was previously impossible - even if it does occasionally "cheat" to find a solution | |
The forgotten women of quantum physicsFri, 14 Nov 2025 10:00:06 +0000 Physics has a reputation for being dominated by men, especially a century ago, as quantum physics was just being invented – but there have been so many women who helped shaped the field since its inception | |
What is cloud seeding and could it end the drought in Iran?Tue, 18 Nov 2025 10:19:28 +0000 Facing its worst drought in decades, Iran is attempting to stimulate rain by spreading seeding agents in clouds, but the technique is likely to have modest benefits at best | |
Vast Bronze Age city discovered in the plains of KazakhstanTue, 18 Nov 2025 00:01:22 +0000 A major settlement in Central Asia called Semiyarka dating back to 1600 BC had houses, a big central building and even an industrial zone for producing copper and bronze | |
Ancient figurine may show sexual encounter between woman and gooseMon, 17 Nov 2025 20:00:09 +0000 A 12,000-year-old clay sculpture found in Israel depicts a goose on the back of a woman, and archaeologists suggest it may be a depiction of an animistic mythological scene | |
Neanderthals' hefty noses weren’t well adapted to cold climatesMon, 17 Nov 2025 20:00:05 +0000 Neanderthals were thought to have structures inside their noses that helped them deal with the cold, but analysis of an exceptionally preserved specimen contradicts that | |
Parasitic ant tricks workers into killing their queen, then usurps herMon, 17 Nov 2025 16:00:52 +0000 Some ants kill the queens of another species and take over their colonies, but we now know at least one species gets workers to do the dirty work for them through a kind of chemical subterfuge | |
Rapid melt from Antarctica could help preserve crucial ocean currentFri, 14 Nov 2025 19:00:27 +0000 Greenland’s melt is expected to slow the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, but research suggests a collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet could in some cases prevent it from shutting down | |
Finally wrangling with the complexity of female bodies benefits us allWed, 12 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Medical research has long sought to gloss over the hormonal and chromosomal complications typical of female biology. But embracing this complexity could benefit everyone | |
The 19th-century maths that can help you deal with horrible coffeeWed, 12 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Do you need to fairly allocate players to teams, or sort out a pot of badly brewed coffee? Katie Steckles has a mathematical solution | |
Women have supercharged immune systems and we now know whyTue, 11 Nov 2025 16:00:38 +0000 Being born with two X chromosomes brings a host of health benefits, and recognising this could lead to personalised medical treatments for men and women | |
Is a deadly asteroid about to hit Earth? Meet the man who can tell youWed, 12 Nov 2025 16:00:37 +0000 When an asteroid threatens Earth, astronomers use a rating called the Torino scale to communicate the risk. Richard Binzel, who invented the scale, tells New Scientist about his 50-year career in planetary defence | |
Breaking Bad showrunner uses sci-fi for smart dive into happinessWed, 12 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Vince Gilligan, the showrunner behind Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, is back, this time using sci-fi to explore a deceptively rich premise about the pursuit of happiness and the notion of utopia, finds Bethan Ackerley | |
Why giving up on goals is good for you, and how to know which to ditchMon, 10 Nov 2025 16:00:25 +0000 We admire grit and perseverance, but surprising research suggests that giving up on ambitions in the right way can actually improve our physical and mental health | |
Cuts and scrapes may be slower to heal in redheadsFri, 14 Nov 2025 17:00:28 +0000 Mice with the same genetic variant that contributes towards red hair in people were slower to recover from wounds than their black-haired counterparts | |
Oldest ever RNA sample recovered from woolly mammothFri, 14 Nov 2025 16:00:15 +0000 RNA from an exceptionally well preserved woolly mammoth gives us a window on gene activity in an animal that died nearly 40,000 years ago | |
Mystery deepens as isolated galaxy forms stars with no obvious fuelFri, 14 Nov 2025 15:42:21 +0000 A galaxy in a practically empty area of the universe seems to be impossibly forming stars, and new observations have only deepened the puzzle | |
The 19 best Christmas gifts for science lovers (and nerds)Fri, 14 Nov 2025 12:00:01 +0000 From microscopes to geodes, New Scientist staff share their top Christmas present ideas in a gift guide unlike any you’ve seen before | |
Mysterious holes in Andean mountain may be an Inca spreadsheetMon, 10 Nov 2025 00:01:52 +0000 Thousands of holes arranged in a snake-like pattern on Monte Sierpe in Peru could have been a monumental accounting device for trade and tax | |
New Scientist recommends this extreme birdwatching documentaryWed, 12 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 The books, TV, games and more that New Scientist staff have enjoyed this week | |
Remarkable robot images provide a vision of the futureWed, 12 Nov 2025 17:26:18 +0000 These photographs of humanoid robots by Henrik Spohler are part of his project Tomorrow Is the Question | |
Smart new book takes an axe to the myth of human exceptionalismWed, 12 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Christine Webb's provocative and moving book The Arrogant Ape explores our unjustifiable sense of superiority in the living world, laying out the evidence against it, says Elle Hunt | |
Is the future of education outside universities?Wed, 12 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 New technologies and academic funding cuts are upending the ways we learn today. Newly enrolled student Annalee Newitz finds some silver linings | |
AI may blunt our thinking skills – here’s what you can do about itMon, 10 Nov 2025 14:30:13 +0000 There is growing evidence that our reliance on generative AI tools is reducing our ability to think clearly and critically, but it doesn’t have to be that way | |
Ancient silver goblet preserves oldest known image of cosmic creationThu, 13 Nov 2025 12:00:27 +0000 The images hammered into the sides of a goblet found in Palestine give us an idea of what people living more than 4000 years ago imagined the creation of the cosmos looked like | |
Analysing Hitler's DNA for a TV gimmick tells us nothing usefulThu, 13 Nov 2025 10:18:45 +0000 To understand Adolf Hitler, we need to look at his personal life and the wider societal and historical context - analysing his DNA for a TV gimmick tells us nothing, says Michael Le Page | |
Why aren't young people having sex any more?Thu, 13 Nov 2025 10:00:26 +0000 Sexual activity in young people is on the decline, but why? And what's more, should we be worried about what this means for society and the future of the human race? | |
Sperm are selfish – and so are weWed, 12 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 A new study hammers home how the "survival of the nicest" view makes no sense when it comes to evolution, says Jonathan R. Goodman | |
Surprising new biography of Francis Crick unravels the story of DNAWed, 12 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Francis Crick's biography is full of surprises as author Matthew Cobb reveals the life and work of the co-discoverer of DNA's structure, finds Michael Le Page | |
Kim Kardashian has wrangled an invite to NASA HQ. Can we get one too?Wed, 12 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Reality TV star Kim Kardashian apparently thinks the 1969 moon landing was fake. If Feedback comes up with an equally outlandish conspiracy theory, maybe we can also get a guided tour of NASA | |
Fossil fuel emissions rise again – but China's are levelling offThu, 13 Nov 2025 00:01:49 +0000 Global emissions from fossil fuels are expected to hit another record high in 2025, but China’s carbon emissions appear to be reaching a peak | |
Strongest evidence yet that the Epstein-Barr virus causes lupusWed, 12 Nov 2025 19:00:02 +0000 Lupus has been linked to the Epstein-Barr virus – which causes glandular fever, or mono – before, but we now have evidence of how it can bring about the autoimmune condition | |
Sex could help wounds heal faster by reducing stressWed, 12 Nov 2025 17:17:38 +0000 Mild wounds healed faster if people took a spray containing the "love hormone" oxytocin and set aside time to praise their partner – but they cleared up even quicker if these individuals were also intimate with their other half | |
Huge cloud of plasma belched out by star 130 light years awayWed, 12 Nov 2025 16:00:59 +0000 A coronal mass ejection from a distant star has been confirmed for the first time, raising questions about how such events could impact exoplanet habitability | |
IBM has unveiled two unprecedentedly complex quantum computersWed, 12 Nov 2025 11:00:34 +0000 IBM revealed two new quantum computers, called Loon and Nighthawk – the qubits they use are connected in newly intricate ways and may enable a way to run error-free computations | |
Chemical computer can recognise patterns and perform multiple tasksWed, 12 Nov 2025 14:00:27 +0000 Previous attempts at building a chemical computer have been too simple, too rigid or too hard to scale, but an approach based on a network of reactions can perform multiple tasks without having to be reconfigured | |
Women prefer to be prettier than a partner, but men want to be funnierWed, 12 Nov 2025 12:00:32 +0000 When measuring yourself against your partner, which traits do you prefer to have compared with your significant other? A survey that forced people to choose has found that men and women have different preferences when it comes to being smarter, funnier or more attractive | |
Our bodies are ageing faster than ever. Can we hit the brakes?Mon, 03 Nov 2025 12:00:59 +0000 All over the world people are ageing more rapidly and succumbing to diseases that typically affected the elderly. But there are ways to turn back the clock on your biological age | |
Cradle of humanity is still revealing new insights about our originsTue, 11 Nov 2025 18:00:24 +0000 The Omo-Turkana basin in Africa is home to a treasure trove of ancient human fossils and tools that span 300,000 years – today it is still yielding new discoveries about our species | |
At-home hypnosis relieves menopausal hot flushesTue, 11 Nov 2025 17:25:39 +0000 Hot flushes could be relieved by listening to recordings that induce hypnosis from home, rather than having to venture to a clinic | |
Static electricity can remove frost from windows using little energyTue, 11 Nov 2025 15:23:54 +0000 High-voltage copper plates can remove up to three-quarters of frost from a surface, while using much less energy than conventional heating | |
Odds of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting the moon may rise to 30 per centTue, 11 Nov 2025 14:00:32 +0000 In February, the James Webb Space Telescope will briefly be able to observe asteroid 2024 YR4, which currently has a 4 per cent chance of hitting the moon in 2032. Depending on what it sees, the odds of collision could drastically increase | |
Falling asleep isn’t a gradual process – it happens all of a suddenMon, 10 Nov 2025 15:00:48 +0000 Brain activity from more than 1000 people shows a rapid transition from being awake to being asleep, rather than a slow transition between the two states | |
The biggest controversy in maths could be settled by a computerTue, 11 Nov 2025 12:00:12 +0000 For over a decade, mathematicians have failed to agree whether a 500-page proof is actually correct. Now, translating the proof into a computer-readable form may finally settle the matter | |
Caves carved by water on Mars may hold signs of past lifeTue, 11 Nov 2025 08:00:45 +0000 Eight possible cave openings found on the Martian surface look to have once had ancient streams flowing into them, suggesting they are promising places to look for evidence of life | |